Ingham County - Marriage Licenses
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Marriage Licenses
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Important Updates
If you are applying for a Marriage License in Ingham County, you may apply online, at the link below, or in-person.
After the 3 day waiting period, you may walk in to either of my two Office locations to pick up the license so that you may get married.
Marriage License Application
You must obtain your license in the county where you reside.
If one or both of you have an Ingham County address, you must apply at the Ingham County Clerk’s Office for your license.
The fee is $20.
You can use the license to be married anywhere in Michigan.
Marriage License Application - Online or In-Person (Ingham County Residents)
Submitting your application
online
Use this link to submit your marriage license application:
Online Marriage License Application
Be sure to click "Submit" when you are finished. This starts the three day waiting period with the day you click "Submit" serving as the first day. Please see the Waiting Period section below for more information about the three day waiting period.
PLEASE NOTE: You will
not
be contacted by the Clerk's Office upon receipt of the submission OR to indicate that your license is ready for pickup.
Once the three day waiting period is complete, you may pick up your marriage license. For office locations and hours, please
Click here
. Make sure you bring government-issued identification that shows your correct Ingham County address and the social security numbers of both parties. Only one party needs to be an Ingham County resident. Both parties do not have to be present to apply. If only one person comes in to apply, they must be the Ingham County resident.
Please remember that your marriage license will expire 33 days from when you clicked the "Submit" button. If the marriage is not scheduled to occur within 33 days, please wait to submit your online marriage license application.
Submitting your application
In-Person
at either of our offices:
Complete and print out the
Marriage License Affidavit Worksheet
. You can also complete this worksheet in the office. Make sure you bring: birth dates, birth places (city and state), current residence addresses, and social security number of both parties, and each parties' parents' full names, including maiden names and the state where each parent was born.
For office locations and hours, please
Click here
Make sure you bring government-issued identification that shows your correct Ingham County address. Only one party needs to be an Ingham County resident. Both parties do not have to be present to apply. If only one person comes in to apply, they must be the Ingham County resident.
Once the application has been submitted, the three day waiting period begins.  Please see the Waiting Period section below
for more information.
Marriage License Application - Out of State Applicants
Applicants coming from out-of-state must apply for their license in the county in Michigan where the marriage is taking place.
Please find the out of state application here:
Out-of-State Marriage License Affidavit Worksheet
The fee in Ingham County is $30 payable at the time you submit your signed/notarized affidavit.
Out-of-state marriage affidavits may be mailed to the Ingham County Clerk once they have been signed by both parties before a notary public.
We ask that when you mail the affidavit, please include contact phone numbers for each of you, the wedding date, and your payment. This can be done on a separate piece of paper or a sticky note. We will not be able to process your request for the marriage license if there are any questions or problems and we are unable to contact you.
All out-of-state affidavits should be mailed to Ingham County Clerk, PO Box 179, Mason MI 48854.
The Marriage Licenses must be picked up in person prior to the ceremony, but not before the three day waiting period has expired. We will not mail the marriage licenses.
Marriage License Waiting Period
Michigan has a three (3) day waiting period before a license can be picked up. The following is a list of the pick-up schedule:
If You Apply On:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday/Friday
The Earliest Pick Up Is:
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Monday
You may request to waive the three (3) day waiting period by completing a waiver petition in the Clerk’s Office. If the waiver is approved, an additional $100 fee is added to the license fee.
Educational Materials
Individuals applying for a marriage license are NOT required to receive blood testing or HIV counseling. However, the County Clerk is required by State Law to provide written educational materials regarding prenatal care and the transmission and prevention of venereal diseases and HIV infection.
Clerk Solemnization - Marriage Ceremonies
Clerk Byrum performs marriage ceremonies at her Mason Historical Courthouse Office.
Clerk Byrum's availability to perform ceremonies is when her schedule permits, Monday through Friday.
The fee is $50 for the ceremony and an additional $20 if witnesses need to be provided
The Ingham County Clerk's Office accepts cash, check, money order, or credit/debit card as forms of payment. Please note that a service fee is assessed for credit/debit card transactions.
To schedule a marriage ceremony, please first complete the
online marriage application
, then send an email to
[email protected]
with both applicants' names, phone numbers, and the desired ceremony date and someone from Clerk Byrum's Office will return your call.
Changing a Last Name as a Result of Marriage
The directions below are offered to be of assistance to those individuals who wish to change their last name to the last name of their spouse or to hyphenate both last names. An attorney should be consulted for other name change arrangements.
If one or both of the applicants plan on a traditional name change, as a result of marriage, (taking partner’s last name or hyphenating both last names), they may sign with that new name at the bottom of the license.
Regardless of how the license is signed, there is no requirement in the State of Michigan for individuals to change their name and no time frame in which it must be done after the ceremony.
The first step in the name change process is to visit the Social Security Administration.
Once the ceremony has occurred, individuals may take the certified copy of the marriage license to the Social Security Administration to change their name with Social Security.
An individual will also need a valid state-issued ID or driver’s license, current social security card/number, and birth certificate. Other documents accepted in place of those listed above can be found
here
The second step in the name change process is to visit the State of Michigan Secretary of State.
To change a name on a Michigan Identification Card or Driver’s license
, an individual must go to any
Secretary of State Branch Office
with their valid driver’s license or state ID card, a certified copy of the marriage license, and their birth certificate or another form of
proof of Legal Presence
When the individual has their new ID, they may then change their name with banks, credit unions, and others (i.e. insurance, bills, memberships, etc.).
Requesting a Certified Copy of a Marriage License
Request a certified copy of a marriage license online:
Visit the
Self-Service Portal
Enter payment information and click "Place Your Order."
If Clerk Byrum's staff have any questions, you will receive a phone call. Otherwise the record will be mailed to the provided mailing address.
You may also complete the marriage license request form and submit it by email, fax, or mail:
1.
Complete the
Marriage License Request Form
2.
Submit the request form and payment by email or mail. The request form has the necessary address information. If you submit your request by email, you must pay by credit/debit card. If you submit your request by mail, you are welcome to pay by check, money order, or credit/debit card. Please make your check/money order payable to Ingham County Clerk. Please do not mail cash.
The certified copy of the marriage license will be mailed to you within 5 business days of the receipt of the request.
You are welcome to expedite your request for an additional $45.00
Request a certified copy of a marriage license in-person:
Click here
for office locations and hours.
Correcting a Marriage License
Occasionally, incomplete marriage licenses, or those with errors, will be submitted to my Office to be placed on file. Marriage License errors may occur if incorrect information provided on the application was not caught prior to the marriage ceremony or because the license was not properly completed during the ceremony.
The State of Michigan requires that all information on the Marriage License be complete and accurate. My Office files marriage licenses with the State of Michigan and you may choose to correct your license via the process below. Please note that the state
may
reject an incomplete or incorrect license, in which case you must correct it.
The process to do so is by petitioning the Court for an Ex Parte Order. To do so, please follow the steps below:
Download and complete the
Affidavit and Motion to Correct License of Marriage
form and have it notarized (my Office provides notarization services for these forms at no additional cost).
Return the completed Affidavit to the Clerk’s Office with payment of $100.00 by dropping it off at either office location, mailing it back, or placing it in the drop box (located in the lobby of the Ingham County Jail).
Allow approximately 30 days for the Court order to be processed by the Clerk and the Circuit Court Judge, and, if approved, for the record to be corrected.
Clerk Byrum’s staff will notify you at the provided phone number when this process is complete.
After this process is complete, you may request a certified copy of the corrected record.
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